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We report the results of a histological study of lung samples where an unusual quantity of airborne pollen and fungal spores was found in drowned rats. Pollen and spores were found in lungs of drowned rats but not in the post-mortem submerged ones. Another control group consisting of rats that underwent 60 min exposure to a highly pollen-loaded atmosphere also recorded negative for the presence of pollen or fungal spores. Pollen types coincided with plants growing at the surrounding gardens flowering during the days of the experiment, performed during spring, that were detected by the aerobiological trap located at the city. The pollen observed at the lower airways' tissues were Chenopodiaceae, Cupressus, Ericaceae, Jasminum, Olea europaea, Plantago, Pinus, Poaceae, Quercus and Urticaceae. Regarding fungal spores Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium cladosporoides, Cladosporium herbarum, Leptosphaeria, Polythrincium and Phitomyces. Pollen and spores' penetration into deeper regions of the respiratory tract is an unusual phenomenon not happening in regular breathing conditions. Our results revealed that these particles appeared in a significant number in lung samples of drowned animals probably pushed down from upper airways by the force of water inhalation during drowning. Their presence into alveolar spaces offer a useful forensic evidence in doubtful drowning autopsies, favoured by the characteristic of the sporopollenin (pollen wall) and chitin (fungal spore wall) resistance. Moreover, the presence of these particles in alveoli areas of drowned bodies can help forensics to obtain information about pre-mortem dates and places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports the magnetic properties of sputtered permalloy (Ni80Fe20) multilayers grown changing the anisotropy direction 90° in successive layers. Magnetic measurements show how the saturating field can be controlled by the thickness ratio between different anisotropy layers and how the coercive field is reduced increasing the number of layers. The linearity of the hysteresis loop is also improved when increasing the number of layers. Magnetic measurements are compared to simulations based on a Stoner-Wolfarth magnetization rotation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the influence of the growth conditions on the structural characteristics of sputtered Py(Fe20Ni80)/ Gd/Py(Fe20Ni80) thin films. Auger electron spectroscopy reveals the existence of Ni in the Gd layer. The Ni concentration profile appears asymmetric with a higher concentration close to the top Py layer. This asymmetrical Ni concentration produces a different coercivity of each Py layer. It is possible to reduce the Ni interdiffusion by using multilayers based on Py/Gd bilayers separated by Mo spacers between the Py/Gd bilayers. In these samples we have obtained an enhancement of the structural and magnetic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the effect of the homogeneity of hydrogen distribution on magnetic properties of hydrogen charged amorphous samples (Metglass 2826MB: Fe40Ni40Mo4B18). The results suggest that, in high magnetostrictive samples, the induced internal stresses and hence the magnetic anisotropy are related to the hydrogen distribution and not to the total quantity of hydrogen inside the sample. To perform this study, the homogeneity of hydrogen distribution in the sample was improved by using a very low rate of hydrogen charging by means of a pulsed electrolytic current. Furthermore, this pulsed electrolytic current allows us to introduce a high quantity of hydrogen without breaking the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]